This was such a well-done novel! I am the first to admit that I knew next to nothing abThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was such a well-done novel! I am the first to admit that I knew next to nothing about the historical figure of Jezebel so I was very interested in picking up this historical fiction story. Sure, I have heard the name thrown around in a derogatory manner during my lifetime but I knew nothing about the woman behind the name. I was quickly pulled into this story of a strong and resilient woman.
Jezebel could be tough, even brutal, at times but I do feel that she did what she thought would strengthen her country. She doesn’t always do what is right but it is apparent just how much she cares. The story was bleak at times and exciting at others. She was very concerned with leaving a legacy so that her name would be remembered. This story takes us from Jezebel’s childhood through middle age and I enjoyed watching her grow and change over the course of the story.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Perdita Weeks did a phenomenal job with this story. I believe that this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to this narrator’s work and I must say that she was the perfect choice to bring Jezebel’s story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and wanted to listen to this story for hours at a time. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very entertaining story that kept me glued to my headphones. The writing was spectacular so I could easily see myself picking up more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Penguin Books and Penguin Random House Audio....more
I thought that this was really good! It didn’t take long before I was entirely captivatThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I thought that this was really good! It didn’t take long before I was entirely captivated by this character-driven story. Bea’s parents in London send Bea to live with a family in the United States to keep her safe during World War II. Bea’s life with the Gregory family is good, and she soon fits in as if she has always been a part of the family. We follow Bea and her London family and the Gregory family over a large span of years and I really wanted to see good things happen to each and every one of them.
This is really a story of relationships. Bea’s relationship with the other children in the Gregory family, Michael, and Gerald, will play a huge role in her life. Nancy, her American mother, was there during most of Bea’s formative years and they remain close even though they don’t see each other once Bea returns to London. Both of Bea’s families have had hardships to deal with over the years and my heart hurt for them over some of the things they faced.
I thought that Ell Potter did a great job with the narration. This story had quite a few characters spread out over a long period of time and thought that she did a fantastic job of bringing the whole cast to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I had no problems listening to her for hours. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of character-driven stories. The characters in this book were easy to like and incredibly well done. There were a few surprises worked into the story which kept me glued to my headphones. I hope to read more of this author’s work in the near future.
I received a review copy of this book from Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio....more
I really enjoyed this book. I don’t read a ton of historical fiction but I do enjoy theThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I really enjoyed this book. I don’t read a ton of historical fiction but I do enjoy the genre from time to time. This was a really interesting novel set during World War II that focused on librarians sent to gather documents during the war. I liked the fact that this book told a story based on an aspect of the war effort that I would have never imagined. I am so glad that I decided to pick up this wonderful story.
Maria was a great character and I loved her determination and willingness to risk everything for what she believed in. Maria was determined to become a part of the group under the Office of Strategic Services as soon as her male college is recruited. While there is no policy against women being a part of the group, there are obstacles that make it difficult for a woman to actually get a spot. Maria had to get creative to get noticed. She proved to be a stand-out in the field once she finally made it to Portugal to do the work.
I also really liked Tiago who did what he could to help the Jewish refugees flee to safety even at his own risk. He was a bookseller in Portugal who also helps Jewish people hoping to leave the country gain the papers that they will need. Along with his co-worker, he has provided passports and visas to countless individuals. Tiago’s and Maria’s paths cross as she is looking for books to microfilm and they soon form a closer connection. They both find themselves in a tremendous amount of danger and I wasn’t sure how things would work out for them.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I found this to be an incredibly interesting story with fantastic characters. I was surprised by just how much each character risked to achieve their goal. I would definitely read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Kensington Books....more
This was great! I really enjoyed the first two books in the Rebels and Redcoats series This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was great! I really enjoyed the first two books in the Rebels and Redcoats series so when I was offered an opportunity to listen to the prequel, I jumped at the chance. This book is a prequel, so it works fine as a stand-alone even though some characters will pop up again later in the series. Once I started listening to this book, it didn’t take very long before I was hooked. I really had a fantastic time listening to this historical fiction novel filled with fantastic characters.
I loved India and Merrick. At the start of the story, India goes through some horrific things and comes close to losing her life before Merrick is able to rescue her. She proved to be incredibly resilient because I doubt many would have been able to handle things as well as she did. Merrick had his own challenges after finding himself captaining a warship after the death of his superior. I liked these two together and thought that they complimented each other quite well.
The story had plenty of excitement. They wanted to bring the individuals responsible for harming India and killing others to justice. They didn’t always agree on how to go about things but they usually had the same goals. There were several plot threads that kept me guessing and enough action to keep the story moving forward.
The narration was phenomenal. As good as the story is, it is the narration that takes everything to the next level. There is a large cast of characters in the story and this group of narrators did an amazing job in bringing them to life. I loved that there were some sound effects in addition to the narrators’ voices and thought that it helped take the production to the next level. I really liked all of the voices used and thought that the narrators did a wonderful job of adding just the right amount of emotion into their reading.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book had everything that I was looking for: a great historical setting, wonderful characters, a compelling romance, action and adventure, and a mystery that kept me guessing. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital audiobook review copy of this book from Caffeinated PR....more
I thought that this book was very well done. This is the first time that I have read anThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I thought that this book was very well done. This is the first time that I have read any of this author’s work and I was quite impressed. I will admit that it took me a very long time to read this book but that is a me issue, not a book issue. I found this tightly plotted book to be an entertaining look at a pivotal time in our nation’s history.
It did take some time for this book to completely grab me. The story is told from quite a few different points of view and I needed to read enough of the story to really get a feel for all of the key characters before I was completely invested. Once I got to know all of the key players, this book became quite the page-turner for me. The book opens on the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked and ends during Christmas of that same year. The story is far-reaching taking the reader from Hollywood to Washington, D.C. with a lot of excitement along the way.
I really liked the fact that the book was able to let the reader see things from the points of view of those trying to stop the crime, those hoping to commit the crime, and those trying to clear their name. Having all of these events happen against a backdrop of real historical events added a lot to the story. The story was violent at times and there were quite a few surprises in the story. I would recommend this book to fans of historical thrillers and hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from Forge Books....more
I loved this book! I have been a fan of Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction books featuThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I loved this book! I have been a fan of Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction books featuring Cuban characters since she started writing them. I was really excited to learn that this book would feature one of the Perez sisters but once I started reading and found in addition to a Perez sister we also get to read about their mother, Alicia, and their aunt, Rosa. I was pulled into this story from the first page and hated to put the book down until I had reached the very end.
Isabel is the oldest of the Perez sisters. When she learns that her sister, Beatriz, is missing in Barcelona, she travels to Spain hoping to find her. She soon meets Diego and the pair set off to track her down. Years earlier, Alicia also traveled to Spain with her young daughter, Isabel. While Alicia is in Spain, the county is filled with violence with war on the horizon. Rosa is a new wife back in Cuba who must say goodbye to her husband and he leaves to go to Spain to fight.
I was swept away by the stories of these women and the choices that they had to make. All three tried to balance the needs of their family against the things that they really want out of life. These women were loyal and passionate while trying to do the best they could in incredibly difficult situations. I was glued to the pages as they struggled to find the best future possible. I really liked the dynamics between the Perez sisters and liked that we got to see Alicia in both of the timelines.
I would highly recommend this book to others. It was hard not to fall in love with this group of characters and the story was filled with the perfect combination of passion and excitement. I cannot wait to read future works by this talented author.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley....more
I loved this book! After the way that The Tory ended, there was no doubt that I was goiThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I loved this book! After the way that The Tory ended, there was no doubt that I was going to read (or listen) to the next book in the series. I just hoped that this installment would be as good as the preceding one. You know what? It was even better in my opinion. This was one of those books that I couldn't wait to get back to when I wasn't listening and looked forward to those opportunities that I did have to slip on a pair of headphones. I really had a fantastic time with this book.
This series really is a saga. I am only two books in but I feel like I have been through a lot with this cast of characters already. This book picks up right after the last book ended. Since we already know the characters, the story takes off right away. Dellis finds out that John is actually a Redcoat and sets out with her cousin Alexei to find out exactly what is going on.
The characters in this book were phenomenal. Dellis is a strong woman and she faced some challenges in this book that really broke my heart. John is the kind of man that will stand by his word and is very loyal. Together, these two just worked perfectly. They have such good chemistry with each other and you can feel how much they care for each other as the story unfolds. The supporting characters were equally well done. The villains of the story were equally well developed and were truly vile humans.
The narration was top-notch. I am a big fan of full-cast productions and I must say that this was a stellar team working on this book. I felt like each narrator really brought their characters to life and brought a lot of emotion into their delivery. I loved the fact that conversations between characters utilized multiple narrators making everything flow quite naturally. The quality of the narration added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would recommend this series to others. This was a captivating listen that really pulled at my heartstrings. I feel like I have been on quite the journey with Dellis and John and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a digital audiobook review copy of this book from the author/publicist.
Initial Thoughts Well, this was fabulous! I loved the full cast narration and I was totally sucked into the story. The characters are amazing and I thought that there was a lot of emotion in their portrayal. This series does need to be read in order and I cannot wait to see what happens next....more
I really enjoyed this powerful story. I enjoy historical fiction from time to time and This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really enjoyed this powerful story. I enjoy historical fiction from time to time and was intrigued by the fact that this story was based on a true story. The fact that these events occurred less than one hundred years ago is almost shocking because everything about this story seems unreasonable and unfair. My heart ached for the things that Ruth Ann and the rest of the characters went through over the course of this story. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.
This book tells Ruth Ann's story, along with the other residents of the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded. Ruth Ann was set to the institution after becoming pregnant as an unwed teen. Her mother is also at the institution but in a more secured area. Ruth Ann's baby, Annabel, was taken from her at birth and given to someone else to raise. Ruth Ann spends her days doing hard labor, often laundry, with some of the other residents and is punished quite severely if things go wrong. Ruth Ann wants nothing more than to raise her baby but nobody seems to want to see that happen. Instead, Ruth Ann is informed that she needs to have an operation that will make it so that she will never be able to have more children.
So many things made me angry about the things that happened to Ruth Ann. She is quite intelligent but is constantly told that she is feebleminded. Her real crime is that she was born poor and had to leave school after sixth grade to work. I hated the fact that the few men in power were making decisions about who was worthy of having children and often didn't even tell the patient the real reason for the surgery that they were having. Even the court cases seemed less about standing up for the individual's rights and giving Ruth Ann a voice than I had hoped to see.
Ruth Ann was a fantastic character. She was smart and resilient. She has been through a lot in her life but doesn't stop trying to do the best she can given her circumstances. She looks out for the younger girls and doesn't rock the boat all too often. There were a lot of great characters at the institution. Clarence was wonderful from the start and I liked him more and more as the book progressed. There were several other girls that were close to Ruth Ann and I thought that their stories added a lot to the book.
I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Bethany Anne Lind's narration and I thought that she did a fantastic job with this book. I thought that her voice was perfect for Ruth Ann and she really brought her character to life. The other voices that she used were equally well done. I thought that she added a lot of emotion to the story which added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. This was a very powerful story and I really appreciated the fact that she included some information about the actual case this book was based on at the end of the book. The book was based on the case Buck vs. Bell which was decided in 1927. Carrie Buck somehow became the person behind the case that has allowed countless forced sterilizations in the years since her case. In my opinion, what was done to Carrie was wrong as is every other instance of forced sterilization. It is hard to believe that to this date this case has yet to be overturned. K.D. Alden did a fabulous job with this book and I hope to read more of her work in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and purchased a copy of the audiobook....more
I really enjoyed this book! I have read and enjoyed two other historical fiction novelsThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I really enjoyed this book! I have read and enjoyed two other historical fiction novels set in Cuba from this author so I went into this book knowing what to expect. I had hoped that this would be another book with fantastic characters, a vivid setting, and a story that would make me think, and that is exactly what I got. The story grabbed me early on and I found it to be a story that was easy to lose myself in for hours at a time. I really had an incredible time with this book.
This book tells the tale of three women. Grace lives in New York and wants to succeed as a reporter. She gets a job at Hearst’s Journal where she eventually covers some important stories. Evangelina ends up in a Cuban jail after fighting off the advances of a Spanish leader. She eventually becomes well known in the United States as a result of newspaper coverage and sparks interest in the situation in Cuba. Marina and her daughter are forced from their farm in Cuba and sent to a re-concentration camp where the situation is dire. Marina is able to earn some money by working for wealthy families and does her part for the cause by delivering messages with the laundry.
Each of these three women had a remarkable story to tell and I loved the way that their paths interconnected. All three women had to deal with difficult, although different, situations and they each had some very had decisions to make. I loved the way that the story brought these women and the people surrounding them to life so that I really felt connected to each of their stories. I think that the historical details that were woven throughout the book were quite eye-opening and helped to tell this powerful story.
I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very well-written and entertaining story featuring wonderful characters. This was a book that I enjoyed from beginning to end and wanted to see things work out for each of the characters. I cannot wait to read more of this talented author’s work.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley....more
I really liked this book! I have to admit that while I thought this book sounded intereThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really liked this book! I have to admit that while I thought this book sounded interesting from the start, I was only mildly interested in it. Once I had a copy in my possession, I decided to give it a try and I ended up reading the entire book cover to cover in a single day. I was drawn into this story as soon as I started reading and it captured my attention until I turned the last page. I am so glad that I took a chance on this book.
This book falls into several genres. It is a coming of age story, a historical fiction tale since it is set in the 1970s, and a medical drama because a large portion of the book takes place in the operating room. I loved the fact that not only was this book was able to do so many things but that it did them well. I am not sure that all readers will enjoy the detailed surgery scenes in this book since they are a little graphic but I loved them. Of course, I have also been known to watch surgeries on television as a form of entertainment.
Gene is a young man living in 1970s Arizona. He meets a girl at the start of the story and wants to get to know her better. When they are on their first date together, she has an emergency and Gene calls his father, who is a doctor, to come help. Patty ends up needing surgery and Gene is there for her every step of the way. When Gene is in college, he knows his grades may not be enough to get him into medical school so he spends his summer following a heart surgeon and his team at the hospital in hopes of getting a recommendation.
We really watch Gene grow up in this book. There were some times in this book that I wanted to look away because I knew Gene was about to do something that was not going to work out well. I love it when a book can make a character feel so real that it is almost painful to watch their life implode. This book does deal with a lot of tough issues and Gene learns a lot of lessons in these pages. I am just glad that I was able to go on this journey with him.
I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a well-written story and I loved the medical aspect of the story. I think that Gregory D. Williams crafted a very entertaining story and I was saddened to learn that he passed away in 2020 before the publication of this book.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from Grand Canyon Press....more
I had a really good time with this audiobook! I have to admit that this audiobook grabbThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I had a really good time with this audiobook! I have to admit that this audiobook grabbed my attention once I saw the list of narrators. Once I read the description, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. My attention span has been rather limited in recent months so I was a bit worried that I would have some trouble staying focused on a 15-hour audiobook but this book had no problems holding my interest. I am really glad that I decided to give this book a try.
I don't think that I have read all that many books set during this time period and I did enjoy seeing Captain John Carlisle navigate his way in America. I liked John but I found Dellis to be the highlight of this story. Dellis was such a capable woman who has been dealt a bad hand but has not given up. I did like the connection that she felt with John. I wasn't quite as sure about John at the start of the story but he really grew on during the course of the story.
I was hooked by the story. A lot is going on in this book and I really found all of the aspects of the story to be important to the bigger picture. I found the book to be rather exciting and I found myself wondering how things would work out for each of the characters. I thought that the romantic element of the story was well done and felt very authentic. My only real complaint is that I had hoped to see things wrapped up a bit more. I really didn't feel like there was any real resolution at the close of this book.
The narration was very well done. This is a fabulous cast of narrators and I think that they all did a phenomenal job with this story. Shane East and Tara Langella did the bulk of the narration but it was always fun to hear one of the other two voices. I thought that their reading added a lot of excitement to the story and was able to bring this book to life. I do feel that the narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.
I would recommend this book to others. This was an exciting story filled with wonderful characters that were easy to care about. I cannot wait to see what happens next to Dellis and John.
I received a digital audiobook review copy of this book from Caffeinated PR....more
I thought that this book was really well done. I enjoy historical fiction every once inThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I thought that this book was really well done. I enjoy historical fiction every once in a while and stories set during World War II really appeal to me. I am always on the lookout for something a little different and the premise of this story grabbed me right away. I love the fact that this book is based on a true story and was eager to see how a woman was able to hide within a PoW camp. Once I picked up this book, I was hooked right away and didn't want to put the book down. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.
At the start of this story, Izzy is a farm girl in Czechoslovakia and Bill is a prisoner at a work camp that has been assigned to assist at her family farm. They are drawn to each other from the very beginning and fall in love in moments when they are able to steal a bit of time together away from everyone else. They marry and escape only to be captured a short time later. This is when things start getting very dangerous for both Izzy and Bill.
I felt for Izzy and Bill from the start. They both just wanted to be together but a war that they could not control had the potential to take everything from them. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for Izzy to live in fear of being discovered and how difficult it must have been to hide her gender in the living conditions within the camp. Bill was in constant fear for Izzy and was willing to do whatever it took to protect her.
This was a really powerful story. The descriptions in this book were very well done and I was able to form a mental image of what the conditions in the camp were Bill, Izzy, and the others that were in on their secret. Everything from their constant state of hunger to the physical pain was vividly described. I felt like I was there with them as they fought to take another step and leaned on each other for support.
I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. I thought that this was a very well done and powerful story. I will admit that I would have loved to see a little bit about what happened to each of the characters after the story ended but I realize that most of the people being released from these camps would never know the fate of those they had come in contact with during their incarceration. I would not hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from Penguin Publishing Group - Berkley....more
I really enjoyed this book. After listening to the first book in the series, Lady Anne This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really enjoyed this book. After listening to the first book in the series, Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark, I was pretty excited to get to this installment because I felt like Darkefell and Lady Anne had some unfinished business to deal with. Once I started listening, I was quickly taken with the new mystery in Lady Anne's life and couldn't wait to see how things would work out.
After leaving Darkefell's home, Lady Anne goes to visit a friend for a while. She isn't there for long before she sees the Barbary Ghost and decides to figure out what is really going on. Lord Darkefell isn't ready to give up on Lady Anne and finds her in Cornwall and before long is helping her investigate everything that is happening. I found the mystery to be quite complex and liked the fact that I couldn't quite put all of the pieces together on my own. There were definitely a few surprises thrown into the mix.
Lady Anne and Lord Darkefell make a great team. They really do work well together and they have a lot of chemistry. They are both great characters and I really want to see them work things out. Lord Darkefell is used to being in charge and can become too authoritative with Lady Anne. They both want each other but Lady Anne isn't sure that she wants marriage since it will mean giving up her freedom.
I thought that Danielle Cohen did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I seem to be enjoying this narrator more and more each time I listen to her work. I like the different voices that she uses and I think that she adds a lot of emotion into the reading of the story. I think she has a very pleasant voice that is easy to listen to for hours at a time and I think that the accent she uses works wonderfully with this series.
I would recommend this series to others. This is the second book in the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries series which is best read in order if possible because of the ongoing character relationships. I cannot wait to get started on the next book in this series.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the narrator....more
What a great book! I am so glad that I finally got around to tackling this book. I had This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
What a great book! I am so glad that I finally got around to tackling this book. I had a feeling that I would like this book and boy was I right! It was easy to lose myself in the story and I felt myself caught up in the characters’ lives more and more as I worked my way through the book. I am so glad that I decided to grab the audiobook since the narrators really took this book to the next level.
This book is told from three points of view. All three of the women at the heart of the story were strong women facing a pivotal moment in their lives. Throw in a natural disaster and you have the makings of a fantastic story. I really liked all three of the women in this book but I have to admit that Helen held a special place in my heart in this story. The paths of these women cross at a small diner in Key West and I couldn’t wait to see how they would meet again.
I loved the characters in this book. Helen is a waitress at the restaurant where she meets the other women. She is heavily pregnant and married to an abusive husband. Mirta stops in the restaurant fresh from Cuba with her new husband and is just trying to make sense of her new life. Elizabeth makes her way to Key West to find a man only to learn that he is most likely to be found at one of the veteran’s camps. These three women are all facing major challenges and I really enjoyed seeing them find their own inner strength.
The story was really exciting. There were some pretty scary moments for these women and there were times that I wasn’t sure how things would work out. I loved that there was a bit of romance worked in because I think it added a lot to the story. There was a bit of a puzzle as to how these three lives would come together and as the pieces snapped into place, I was sometimes quite surprised.
Kyla Garcia, Rachel L. Jacobs, and Karissa Vacker did a wonderful job with the narration of this book. I liked the fact that their voices were all very different because that made it very easy to tell whose point of view the story had moved to. I think that they all were able to voice multiple characters quite well and I loved how much emotion and excitement they were able to add to their reading. I believe that their narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a very well-told story that featured some remarkable characters. I love that some events from the past that I had never heard of were woven into the story. I will definitely be looking out for futures books by Chanel Cleeton.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via Edelweiss and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
Initial Thoughts This was quite good! This book follows three women in the Florida Keys leading very different lives. I liked all three points of view but must say that I tended to enjoy Helen's part of the book just a bit more. Each of these women was incredibly strong and dealt with impossible situations remarkably well. The three narrators did a fantastic job with the book and added to my overall enjoyment of the story. I would definitely recommend this book to others....more
I really enjoyed this story. Believe it or not, this was the first time that I have reaThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really enjoyed this story. Believe it or not, this was the first time that I have read any of Marie Lu's work. I love music so I was really drawn to the premise of this story. I read the bulk of this book in a single day and couldn't get enough of Wolferl and Nannerl's story. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.
There was a point at the start of this story that I thought that this book was going to be mostly set in the fantasy world of the Kingdom of Back. I was wrong. This book really reads like an historical fiction with short trips into fantasy. The fantasy elements were a nice addition to the story but I felt like the relationship between Nannerl and her brother, Wolferl, and their music was the main focus of the story.
Nannerl is Wolferl's older sister. The world knows Wolferl as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and he is remembered by everyone. But who remembers his sister who shared his talent? As children, they were both very gifted musicians and played for important audiences everywhere. They were not treated the same though. Nannerl is expected to help supervise her younger brother and knows that being a wife and mother is in her future. She is allowed to play her music but composition is strictly considered a man's domain.
I really enjoyed the magical elements of this story. Hyacinth was a great character and I loved that I was never quite sure of his motivations. I thought that the descriptions of the scenes within the Kingdom of Back made this world come alive. All of the things that they were faced with in this land were exciting and helped to move the story along.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very well done story involving a historical figure from a unique point of view. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Marie Lu's work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers via Bookish First.
Initial Thoughts I enjoyed this story. At the start of the book, I thought that the story would spend most of its time in the fantasy world of the Kingdom of Back. Instead, the story read as historical fiction with moments of magic dispersed throughout the story. This is the first time that I have picked up any of Marie Lu's work and there was something about this story of Mozart's sister, Nannerl, that I could not resist. We have all heard of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart but what about his talented sister? ...more
This was a fantastic installment in a much-loved series! This is the fifth book in the VThis review can also be found atCarole's Random Life in Books.
This was a fantastic installment in a much-loved series! This is the fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries series which is a series that is best read in order. I have been with Veronica since the beginning and am finding that I like this series more and more with each installment. I read this book in just a couple of days and found it to be incredibly entertaining. I really had a great time with this book.
I have grown to love Veronica, Stoker, and some of the other recurring characters in this series. Veronica and Stoker work very well together and obviously are quite good at solving mysteries. They also have a lot of chemistry. We have been gradually watching the heat grow between these two since the beginning of the series and while I do sometimes wish things would move a bit faster, it is obvious how much they care about each other.
The mystery in this book was a bit unexpected. Veronica's heritage is a well-kept secret. Because of her connections, she is asked to look into some of the dealings of the prince. He has given a piece of jewelry that can be traced back to him to a woman who runs a scandalous club and his family wants it back before anyone can find out about it. Of course, things are never easy and Veronica and Stoker must navigate a pretty dangerous situation before everything is settled. Throw in the famous Jack the Ripper murders which are happening and you have quite an exciting story on your hands.
This book had everything that I hoped it would have. There were some rather light-hearted moments and some pretty intense scenes. I loved the chemistry between the characters and am loving the way Veronica and Stoker are slowly working their way towards each other. There were a few surprises in this book and I really enjoyed the fact that the Jack the Ripper murders were a part of this story. I thought that the pacing of the story was very well done and I found the book hard to put down.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This is a smartly written mystery series with incredibly wonderful characters. I cannot wait to read more of Veronica and Stoker's adventures!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts I loved this book! I think that this series just keeps getting better and better. The characters are so well done and I love the chemistry between Veronica and Stoker. I thought the mystery in this book was quite good and I liked that the story touched on the crimes of Jack the Ripper. ...more
This was a wonderful book. I happened on this book quite by chance but decided to give This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was a wonderful book. I happened on this book quite by chance but decided to give it a try and I am so glad that I did. I have read quite a few books set during World War II over the years and usually find them heartbreaking and powerful. This was a really unique story that really did grab me. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this powerful novel.
Alex and Charlie become pen pals when they are only 10 years old. Charlie is a Jewish girl living in Paris with her family. Alex is a Japanese American boy at a time when being of Japanese descent is more than just a little difficult. We get to know Charlie and Alex through the letters that they write to each other and we get to see how things are changing in both of their worlds.
Charlie does play a part in this book but I really feel like this was Alex's story. We see Charlie through her letters but we get to see Alex during the challenges he faced. I hate to admit that I don't know as much as I should about internment camps that the United States put into place after the attack on Pearl Harbor but what I learned in this book made me sad and angry at the same time. The descriptions of what Alex and his family went through were heartbreaking.
Alex's decision to join the military in the hopes of helping his father really demonstrated the strength of his character. The descriptions of the battles that Alex's unit faced were incredibly vivid. I felt like I was right there with Alex, Mutt, Teddy, and the rest of their unit as they faced nearly impossible odds. Alex played a very important part in his unit and was under a lot of pressure but he handled it like a pro. He never stopped thinking about his family or Charlie even when things were at their worst.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I had a hard time putting this book down once I got started with it. It was an emotional read and beautiful at the same time. I feel like I have been on quite the journey with Alex and Charlie in this powerful book. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Andrew Fukuda's work.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from Tor Teen....more
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